Helmet Life Span?

[Desmostro]

My new AGV GP Tech finally just came in.  It says right in the manual, replace after 5 years.
I might agree with you on this one. It depnds on a lot of things. It would seem logical that they would error on the side of safety and profit when giving advise like that. 

Frankly, I think that 5 years stuff is bull. Painted fiberglass lasts way longer than 5 years, and lots of commercial items sit around packed in much the same foam as helmet linings use for years and years without anyone worrying about spontaneous decomposition. But hey, do what your own consience tells you, it's your head.

[Dana]

And in all honesty, how often do we hear of someone not suriving a crash because the helmet was one year past due? 

I see it more as an excuse buy new lids!

Hell, I occasionally wear a 10 year old Arai Quantum that still fits like a glove!

Dana

[Raux]

i think manufacturers have to either build in expiration dates artificially (bogus expiration dates) or for real (as in why does that crap always break after the warranty period) to make sure they get another sale.

[Howie]

A reccommended life span is going to be under less than ideal conditions.  If your helmet never gets sweated in, exposed to various fumes and worn for two hours every other sunday I am sure it will last notably more than 5 years.  If you use it daily with exposure to extreme conditions 5 years is probably a good guide line.

[MTBryan]

And in all honesty, how often do we hear of someone not surviving a crash because the helmet was one year past due? 

Good point about not hearing of an 'old helmet' as the cause of increased injuries during a crash.

There may be some truth in the case for a helmet 'wearing out' over the span of 5 or so years. But I think:
1) It is a conservative life span created by lawyers to eliminate that as a possibility in a law suit.
2) It is an attempt to get more money from my pockets from the helmet manufacturers.

Some on this thread have said, 'isn't your brain worth $500 bucks?'. Well, that's just a silly statement in my opinion. I make  safety decisions every time I ride my motorcycle. Also, every time I take a walk, drive my car, ride my bike, etc. I moved from Colorado where there is no helmet law. So, in that state, I could even ride without a helmet if I chose to do so (although I never did, except when giving the kids a ride around the block and making them wear my helmet).

There is a slight chance that a car will veer off the road, and crash into me as I am taking a walk with my wife in the evening. Not a great chance, but it can happen, and has happened. So, since there is some risk, am I to wear my helmet and full riding gear to help my chances in such an accident? Of course not, and that is an extreme example. But my point is, everything we do has implied risk, so it is up to us individually to determine how far we want to go to handle such risks. 

So, for me, instead of asking myself the simpleton question:
Isn't my brain worth $500 bucks...
I ask myself the more rational question:
Based on my riding history, past experience, the condition of my helmet, the statistics of motorcycle crashes, and everything else I know about riding, and how I ride, is it worth spending an extra $500 to $600 bucks every 5 years or so for a new helmet, and ditching my perfectly good lid?

I say no ,for me.

But I guess we all have the 'recommended' information. So it is up to each of us to make our own decision.

[akmnstr]

For what it's worth, the Snell Foundation also recommends replacing 5 year old helmets. 

[superjohn]

I just bought a new helmet, not because I thought the old one was no longer effective, but because I wanted more features, lighter weight, and just something different.

I also discovered that my first helmet was too big after it broke in and didn't fit as well.

My point is, I would probably buy a new helmet anyway just to take advantage of technology and design features. I'll keep the old ones though as spares.

[zedsaid]

To all of you saying "it's their way of getting you to spend more money for no reason"... if that were the case he would have said that you should replace the helmet after a drop... but in fact he didn't (though that's a common belief) saying that in most cases, a drop isn't going to hurt the helmet (unless your head is in it when it drops).

Every try picking up a loaded ten year old Styrofoam cooler?  Can you say "brittle"?